Italian artist sheds 2 kg in one day producing Putin’s portrait

Italian land artist Dario Gambarin, who used his tractor and a plough to turn a field near the northern Italian city of Verona into a huge portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told TASS he loses up to 2 kg weight to create his giant images. "No mistake can be made here. This is like cutting a canvas. It appears that I have a good sense of space and I’m guided only by my imagination. But everything demands such concentration that I shed 2 kg," the Italian artist said, noting that it takes a day and a half to create a portrait.

Gambarin, a farmer’s son, uses his father’s plot for his land art installations. "I decided to use the land of my father, who taught me when I was a child how to use a tractor. My scale is much bigger - one eye on a portrait reaches 8 meters," he explained.

The artist, who describes his art style as "abstract expressionism," said he started creating his portraits some 10 years ago after seeing a photo in Germany. He is known for a series of similar works of global political leaders, including John Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Putin’s portrait is 135 meters wide and occupies a plot of land measuring 25,000 square meters. Due to its size, the artwork can only be properly viewed from above. Gambarin explained the choice for his new picture by the approaching G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg that would address important global issues, such as the economy, migration and the crises in Syria and Ukraine. Next to Putin’s image the artist "wrote" the Russian president’s surname.

"Putin plays a huge role in the modern world and he could change it. A lot is expected from the upcoming meeting of the G20, where important problems should be solved. Then a meeting between Putin and Trump (due on June 7) may become the turning point for the world’s destiny," the artist stressed. The Russian and US presidents have already "met" on one field, the artist said, explaining that Trump earlier appeared on the same part of the field." The artist acknowledged that as a rule his field portraits have a political or social meaning. "I call for peace and development," Gambarin stated.